POPOVICH gene controlling development of nectar spur in Aquilegia The evolution of novel features – traits such as wings or eyes – helps organisms make the most use of their environment and promotes increased diversification among species. Understanding the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the origin of these traits is of great interest to evolutionary biologists. The flowering plant Aquilegia, a genus of 60-70 species found in temperate meadows, woodlands and mountain tops around the world, is known…
Today, the way a physician gets an idea of how many seizures a person with epilepsy has had is through the patient’s own record of seizure activity in his day-to-day life. Despite all the technological advances in devices monitoring the human body, a patient’s seizure diary, as it is often called, remains the only means to record and count epileptic seizures outside the clinic. Any insights that such a diary can provide on the effects of medication, seizure frequency or…
Until now, these flows of material had been detected only in other wavelength ranges, such as X-rays or the visible, depending on the phase in which the black hole is consuming its surrounding material. This study provides the first evidence that the winds are present throughout the evolution of the eruption, independently of the phase, and this is a step forward in our understanding of the mysterious processes of accretion onto stellar mass black holes. The article has just been…
Team of the University of Tübingen studied how plants adapt to increasing drought Certain plant species can evolve very quickly under drought conditions. This means that the modified plant traits are genetically fixed and passed on to the next generation. A research team led by Professor Katja Tielbörger from the Institute of Evolution and Ecology, together with other colleagues from the University of Tübingen and the Universities of Hildesheim, Münster and Cologne, has shown this in a new study. However,…
An international research team from Germany, Italy, and the UK has developed a key photonics component for the intriguing terahertz spectral range. By mixing electronic resonances in semiconductor nanostructures with the photon field of microresonators, they designed a stained mirror that bleaches more easily than ever and could make terahertz lasers ultrafast. The results are published in the current issue of Nature Communications. Terahertz radiation – often dubbed T-rays – marks one of the last frontiers in photonics. Located in…
Sandwich is the food concocted by the 18th-ceuntry nobles to play card games uninterrupted. Meat or vegetables were layered then tucked between bread to be eaten quickly while engaged in the game. This efficient food also delivered ample calories and nutrition. POSTECH research team has discovered that layering like the sandwich is an excellent way to obtain hydrogen energy, an alternative energy source for fossil fuels. The research team led by Professor In Su Lee, SunWoo Jang, a student in…
Study shows the need to shield qubits from natural radiation, like cosmic rays from outer space A multidisciplinary research team has shown that radiation from natural sources in the environment can limit the performance of superconducting quantum bits, known as qubits. The discovery, reported today in the journal Nature, has implications for the construction and operation of quantum computers, an advanced form of computing that has attracted billions of dollars in public and private investment globally. The collaboration between teams…
Researchers create portable lab-on-a-chip that could detect many contaminants. Rutgers researchers have created a miniature device for measuring trace levels of toxic lead in sediments at the bottom of harbors, rivers and other waterways within minutes – far faster than currently available laboratory-based tests, which take days. The affordable lab-on-a-chip device could also allow municipalities, water companies, universities, K-12 schools, daycares and homeowners to easily and swiftly test their water supplies. The research is published in the IEEE Sensors Journal….
Researchers from Kanazawa University find that as gastric cancer spreads throughout the peritoneal cavity, inflammatory protein IL-17A induces tissue fibrosis, causing lethal side effects and hampering chemotherapy. Gastric cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide, is renowned for its ability to disseminate throughout the peritoneal cavity. As well as causing secondary tumors in other organs, metastatic gastric cancer cells trigger extensive stromal fibrosis, or the formation of scar tissue, that can be more deadly than the cancer…
During experiments on high-performance wire arc additive manufacturing researchers produced a metal with unique ductility. During experiments on high-performance Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) researchers from Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) produced a metal with unique ductility. The ductility is three times higher than specified in the standard. The research results were published in a prestigious journal – “Materials & Design“. Increase of WAAM productivity led to discovery of unique properties of aluminum. Elongation of specimens during tensile…
The sample was first obtained by quenching Cathode materials based on sodium and d-metals fluorophosphates are in great demand in the production of metal-ion batteries, because they have a rich chemical composition that allows to regulate their electrochemical properties. The research team of the scientists of Samara Center for Theoretical Materials Science of Samara Polytech, Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center Boreskov Institute of Catalysis and…
There are up to a hundred different receptors on the surface of each cell in the human body. The cell uses these receptors to receive extracellular signals, which it then transmits to its interior. Such signals arrive at the cell in various forms, including as sensory perceptions, neurotransmitters like dopamine, or hormones like insulin. One of the most important signaling molecules the cell uses to transmit such stimuli to its interior, which then triggers the corresponding signaling pathways, is a…
The first few weeks of a tree seedling’s life can be the most precarious. As it pushes thin new roots into the ground it’s also reaching up with tiny new leaves. Water and energy are precious. Most seedlings never make it past their first month on the ground. But while much is known about the growing process, there remains a layer of mystery around the mechanisms within these small plants. Now, a new study by a University of Georgia researcher…
Researchers in Siegen have developed the world’s first afterglow-magnetic nanoparticles. The patented invention is designed for various applications including cancer detection in medicine and the detection of fine particulates in living organisms. Researchers at the University of Siegen have developed the world’s first nanoparticles that feature both magnetic and afterglow properties. The potential for applications is enormous: For example, the novel particles could be used to discover cancer cells in patients or detect the concrete distribution of fine particulates in…
In cooperation with colleagues from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, researchers at Leipzig University have investigated the structure of tumour tissue and the behaviour of tumour cells in detail, gaining important insights that could improve cancer diagnosis and therapy in the future. They found out that during tumour development the way cells move can change from coordinated and collective to individual and chaotic behaviour. They have just published their research findings in the journal “Nature Cell Biology”. The paper was…
A team of researchers at University of Toronto Engineering and University of Michigan have modified an enzyme from bacteria to promote regrowth of nerve tissue. A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering and the University of Michigan has redesigned and enhanced a natural enzyme that shows promise in promoting the regrowth of nerve tissue following injury. Their new version is more stable than the protein that occurs in nature, and could lead to new treatments for reversing nerve…
Feedback
